Source edition
Epicurus. Epicuri epistulae tres et ratae sententiae a Laertio Diogene Servatae. von der Mühll, Peter, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1922.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a letter addressed by Epicurus to his disciple Menoeceus, outlining the fundamental principles of philosophy required to achieve a happy life. The author begins by asserting that both young and old should practice philosophy for the sake of happiness, explaining the correct conception of the immortal gods and the need to overcome the fear of death based on the premise that death is nothing to us. He then positions pleasure as the ultimate goal of life, but emphasizes the importance of rational choice and avoidance rather than the pursuit of all pleasures, highlighting the value of self-sufficiency (autarkeia). Epicurus defines true pleasure not as profligate enjoyment, but as the absence of pain in the body (aponia) and the absence of trouble in the soul (ataraxia). Finally, he extols prudence (phronesis) as the greatest virtue for attaining this state and concludes by advising a rational attitude toward fate and fortune.